Archives: Quiz

When we say statistical population we mean a. A range of archaeological material across a landscape. b. A set of counts, measurements, or characteristics about which relevant inquiries are to be made. c. The region that will be sampled. d. […]

The best place for a bioarchaeologist to look to determine the sex of human skeletal remainsis: a. The skull. b. The pelvis. c. The sacrum. d. The dentition. Studies of from various modern human populations have found: a. Living Native […]

CRM survey projects differ from research survey projects in that: a. More volunteers and students are usually present on CRM survey projects, and so these projects tend to move more slowly than research survey projects. b. In CRM, the research […]

Although ice core analysis suggests that the next ice age should be 15,000 years in the future, _________ appears to be having an effect on the normal cycle of the earth’s temperature a) the tilt of the earth b) human […]

The vast majority of archaeological sites that are found during survey in advance of construction in the United States a) do not meet the criteria to be considered significant and are recorded and destroyed b) are major archaeological sites that […]

The return of human remains or other artifacts to their country of culture of origin is called a) colonialism b) repatriation c) preservation d) restoration e) reconstruction Volcanic glass which is used to make chipped stone tools is a particularly […]

Through seriation, assemblages of artifacts are arranged in serial order, which is taken to indicate a) their relative worth b) what year they were excavated c) their relative ordering in time d) where they were discovered on the site grid […]

The most effective system ever devised by humans to describe the world around them is a) cave art b) mobiliary art c) pictorial representation d) writing e) all of these systems are equally effective The argument that large-scale irrigation alone […]

The Pazyryk bodies, found in ________________, were so well preserved by their constant frozen state that archaeologists not only recovered linen shirts, aprons, and stockings but could also see tattoos a) southern Siberia b) southern Sinai c) South Africa d) […]

Much of the portable art from the Ice Age is of animals, but the most famous pieces are the so-called _____________, such as the example from Willendorf, Austria a) fertility figurines b) Venus figurines c) birthing figurines d) grotesque figurines […]

Diatoms are useful for identifying whether ancient bodies of water were fresh, brackish or salt, but not for finer-grained analytical questions, such as the level of water salinity or nutrient status. It is not easy to identify the intentions of […]

The process of excavation inherently entails destruction. Power relationships in the past are often depicted pictorially. Answer: True Thanks to the efforts of dedicated aboriginal groups in Australia, some human remains that were exhumed in the past by archaeologists without […]

Post-processual archaeology has completely replaced the New Archaeology. Multi-period, deep sites, such as village mounds in the Near East, show few if any traces of their deepest levels on the surface. Answer: False The main difference between optical dating and […]

Darwin’s work on evolution did not have a large or immediate impact on archaeologists. The Rosetta Stone was discovered during Pitt-Rivers’s military expedition to India (1798″1800). Answer: False Using differences in tree-rings to tie a wooden structure to a calendar […]

Two major Classic Maya sites in the southeastern extent of the Maya culture area are: A. Calakmul and Tikal B. Tikal and Quirigua C. Quirigua and Copn D. Copn and Calakmul Children in Aztec culture were: A. pampered until adulthood […]

MATCHING 2 1) Aztec 2) Nahua 3) Nahuatl 4) Mexica 5) Tenochca A. Mesoamerican lingua franca for trade and politics in the Late Postclassic period B. The Mexica group that established Tenochtitlan C. Linguistic subdivision of the Uto-Aztecan language family […]

Archaeologists conclude that an urban revolution occurred at Teotihuacan based on the fact that: A. thousands of apartment compounds, oriented on a grid system, were built there B. the populace was organized into patrilineages C. the constructions of pyramids at […]

The end of Classic Maya Copn is marked by: A. the burning of the ruler’s palace B. an unfinished altar, dated to ad 822 C. demographic decline D. All of the above. MATCHING 1 1) Mokaya culture 2) Olmec culture […]

The Formative period of Mesoamerica is characterized by: A. the stability of cultural patterns throughout the region B. adjustments to post-glacial landscapes C. dynamic culture changes from simple to complex societies D. the highest populations in the Maya Lowlands Children […]

We can find evidence for conflict in Classic Maya society in: A. massive defensive earthworks B. indigenous texts which document political situations C. preserved artworks showing scenes of confrontation D. All of the above Segmentary states within an empire: A. […]

The European explorer famed for leading the first Europeans to the Pacific Ocean from the Americas was: A. Vasco de Gama B. Christopher Columbus C. Francisco Pizarro D. Vasco Nuez de Balboa Olmec iconography: A. was confined to the Gulf […]

Acoculco, Ching, and El Tesoro: A. developed at the time that Teotihuacan was at its peak B. provided the Teotihuacanos with the raw materials for making pottery C. were hilltop centers in the Tula region that peaked after Teotihuacan’s decline […]

The best preserved Archaic sites are caves, such as: A. Santa Isabel Iztapan B. Guil Naquitz C. Paso de la Amada D. Tehuantepec As an Aztec boy, you would be expected to: A. attend school to learn how to become […]

In Mesoamerican religion: A. there were only male deities B. there were many female deities C. there was only one major female and one major male deity D. female deities were worshipped in round temples Archaeologists associate Mesoamerican women with […]

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is: A. the highest mountain peak in Mesoamerica B. a broad, relatively flat plain C. a peninsula covered by tropical rainforest D. where the Aztecs established their capital city The iconography, architecture, and artifacts at Kaminaljuy […]

During the Late Postclassic, the Maya established both a commercial center and _______ on the island of Cozumel. A. a military outpost B. a pilgrimage center C. cacao groves and processing centers D. a canoe manufacturing factory Chapultepec Hill in […]

The fact that most people have adopted the automobile to continue the lifestyle of horse-drawn carriages illustrates: A. the Law of Biotic Potential B. Leibig’s Law of the Minimum C. the Law of Most Effort D. Romer’s Rule During the […]

Tribal leaders, as exemplified by those among the Yanomamo of South America: A. have great power to force their subjects to obey B. can also be shamans, polygynists, and the heads of their lineages C. have little or no authority […]

Potbelly sculptures, stelae, and frog-shaped altars can be primarily found in _____. A. the Pacific coastal plain B. the Maya lowlands C. the Gulf lowlands D. Cuicatln Caada More colossal heads were built at _______ than at any other Olmec […]

The largest Mesoamerican ball court is found at the site of: A. Labn B. Pueblo Viejo C. Cob D. Chichn Itz Tula’s environmental setting can be described as: A. semi-arid B. tropical rainforest C. arid D. desert Answer: A Domestication: […]

The evidence found at Pueblo Bonito, the largest Chaco Canyon site, for contact with Mesoamerica is: A. ball courts B. murals depicting the Feathered Serpent C. pottery from Tula D. chocolate An architectural feature common at Northwest Frontier sites during […]

Archaeologists infer that Cuetlajuchitln was a Terminal Formative trading center in Guerrero from: A. the drainage ditches at the site B. some materials and artifacts that came from other parts of Mexico C. the plan of the site, which was […]

The rise of modern archaeology occurred: A. with the Spanish Conquest in ad 1521 B. during the Republican period of Mesoamerican history C. in the 21st century in Mexico D. in the Colonial period of Mesoamerican history In _____ societies, […]

A community house or “men’s house” was identified during the Initial Formative era at: A. Paso de La Amada B. Tehuacn C. Cuicuilco D. San Jos Mogote A sought-after resource in the Mixtec region was an insect that: A. was […]

Guests at a feast in the house of a wealthy Aztec noble would be presented with: A. chocolate and pulque B. flowers, tobacco, and clothing C. tobacco, figurines, and hallucinogenic mushrooms D. pulque, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and tobacco Cern in El […]

The drinking of alcoholic beverages: A. was not permitted by ancient Mesoamerican societies B. cannot be accurately detected in the archaeological record because it leaves no trace C. is evidenced by drinking cups found at Teotihuacan and Cholula D. did […]

No pre-Conquest civilization, including the Aztec, was able to politically or culturally unify the whole of Mesoamerica. In the absence of a male heir, political control of a Late Classic Maya city: a) was automatically assigned to lord of a […]

It has been suggested that in the Neolithic period, the burial of the dead beneath houses and the recovery and treatment of skulls represents: a) violent warfare b) a lack of religion or ritual behavior c) an ancestor cult d) […]

During the course of hominin evolution, which of the following traits came first: a) the controlled use of fire b) the development of stone tools c) the intentional burial of the dead d) bipedal walking e) symbolic behavior Communities whose […]

The results of various DNA studies indicate that traits such as skin color are more diverse in sub-Saharan Africa than anywhere else. This supports the idea that Homo sapiens evolved in Africa because: a) other Homo species, such as Homo […]

Some individuals held special ritual roles during the Middle Woodland Period, for example, being a __________ involved wearing ceremonial paraphernalia including masks, represented archaeologically by cut carnivore jawbones and full bear hides. a) slave b) sailor c) rancher d) shaman […]

Best known for his conquest of the Aztec empire, this conquistador landed on the Mesoamerican mainland in 1519, encountering the Maya of Yucatn. a) Hernan Corts b) Francisco Pizarro c) Hernando de Soto d) Christopher Columbus e) Ponce de Len […]

The earliest evidence in Europe for _____________ comes from sites near Almera in Spain. a) weaving b) ironworking c) copperworking d) written language e) rice cultivation Projectile technology, namely the use of bows and arrows and spear throwers, is a […]

Homo ergaster was probably the first human species to leave Africa. Hunter-gatherers sites in the Yellow River Valley that date to before 7500 bc a) often yield large quantities of stone tools b) offer some indications that people harvested wild […]

Archaeology and the study of prehistory, as it stands today, comes primarily from: a) a Western tradition of scholarship b) an Eastern tradition of scholarship c) a model developed by the ancient Greeks d) a global tradition of scholarship e) […]

Anatomically modern humans tend to be tall and long-limbed with a short-trunked body. This supports the notion of an African origin because: a) these appear to be biological adaptations to tropical and subtropical climates b) these appear to be biological […]

Much of our information about the Celts comes from a) the writing of Herodotus b) records of the Roman invasions of places such as Gaul c) the written records of the Celts themselves d) all of the above e) a […]

The remarkable invention that allowed for Polynesian expansion thousands of kilometers into the Pacific is the: a) star chart b) double sailing canoe c) compass d) three-masted tall ship e) all of the above The introduction of ____________ at the […]

Archaeological finds such as oars, boats, and fishing spears at the waterlogged sites of Tianluoshan and Hemudu demonstrate the importance of ________ resources to the Neolithic cultures of the Yangzi River Valley. a) military b) megafaunal c) metallurgical d) aquatic […]

Which of the following was a characteristic of the Late Woodland Period: a) a decline in the trade for non-local goods b) an increase in fighting between groups c) the adoption of maize as an essential part of the diet […]